


College Spies

by LadyLasa



Category: Free!
Genre: College Roommates, Gen, Treasure hunts, spy games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 09:27:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5534693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLasa/pseuds/LadyLasa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Rin's return to Japan and Sousuke's decision to start University a year late, both of them need time to learn their way around campus. Kisumi has the perfect idea to solve their problem, but there's a catch - neither of them knows that the other is part of the game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	College Spies

**Author's Note:**

> This is my present for [ crazyinjune ](http://crazyinjune.tumblr.com/) . Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays, and I hope you enjoy it!

He was late, but he doubted that Kisumi would mind. In fact, Kisumi had insisted that he’d wait as long as he had to for the chance to discuss something that was apparently incredibly important with Sousuke. Their messages had been through texts, but the excessive use of emojis almost convinced him not to go in the first place. He didn’t want to sit through Kisumi’s whines and pouts later, though.

With a sigh, Sousuke pushed open the door to the shop, taking in the fresh smell of roasted coffee beans before he spotted a head of bubblegum pink hair. He mentally prepared himself for whatever he was walking into as he approached the back corner booth, but a scowl refused to leave his face when he sat opposite of his sometimes-friend.

“I picked a coffee shop that was literally one block from your dorm,” Kisumi said. “How could you possibly get lost?”

“Well, it was nice, but I’m leaving.” Sousuke started to stand, only for Kisumi to clutch at his arm, and the moment he saw those violet eyes pleading with him, he knew he’d lost. Honestly, he needed better friends. “Fine. You have five minutes to convince me that this isn’t a waste of time. I still have to finish unpacking.”

“You’re so mean.” He gave a dramatic sigh, but his smile returned almost immediately. Sousuke knew he was going to regret this. “Besides, Makoto probably has all of your things sorted by now. You hit the jackpot when they assigned him as your roommate.”

Sousuke couldn’t argue the point, but he wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of agreement. Even though he’d just transferred to Tokyo this year, both he and Makoto had the same major, so it was good to have someone who could study with him without having to track him down whenever he had time. He wasn’t too upset about not rooming with Rin, who had also transferred when the distance had become too much; he was only a little irritated that his best friend would be sharing a room with Nanase. Then again, their room was right across the hall from his and Makoto’s, so he supposed it wasn’t all bad.

“So, I came up with the perfect thing to help you learn your way around campus!” Oh great, Kisumi was talking again, and he had that gleam in his eye that made Sousuke want to rush out the door all over again. “Don’t give me that look. It’s perfect, and you know it.”

Never mind the fact that Sousuke _still_ didn’t know what the hell was going on, but knowing Kisumi, he couldn’t help but be skeptical.

“I’ve arranged a little game,” Kisumi continued, ignoring his sour expression. “There are two teams, both containing a new student and one who’s been here at least one term. Now, the teams don’t know who they’re playing against, so it’s really important that everyone keeps this secret. I’m hiding clues around campus, and the first team to collect them all wins! Oh, and if you figure out who the other team is, then you’re welcome to try to sabotage them as long as you don’t tell them that you’re part of the game.”

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little bit intrigued. Learning the campus on his own was a daunting task, but having someone who knew their way around would definitely help. The way Kisumi presented it sounded like a competition, and Sousuke rarely backed down from one of those.

“How do I find out who’s on my team?” he asked.

“They’ll contact you.”

“Seriously?” Sousuke’s patience had run out about five minutes ago, but he still remained at the table. “There better be a damn good prize for winning this thing.”

0o0o0

“I’ll be back later!”

Sousuke looked up from his notes as Makoto hurried towards the door to their dorm room, wondering how the hell someone could have that much energy all the time. He didn’t bother asking where his roommate was going; Makoto had been talking about it all day. The plan was to take Rin out for dinner, but beyond that, they’d figure it out as they went.

“Have fun,” Sousuke managed. “And just remember, if you make him cry, I’ll kick your ass.”

It was a mostly empty threat – making Rin cry wasn’t exactly difficult – but he had to hide a smirk at the nervous laughter that spilled from Makoto, like he couldn’t tell if the threat had been a joke or not. Sousuke wasn’t going to tell him either way. If nothing else, his roommate would think twice before doing anything to hurt his best friend. Not that Sousuke really thought Makoto was capable of hurting anyone, of course.

Not even five minutes passed after Makoto left when there was a sharp knock at the door. At first, Sousuke ignored it, deciding that he could get some studying in while he had the room to himself. With Rin and Makoto out of the building, there wasn’t really anyone else who would have wanted to stop by to see him. When the knock came again, however, it was more insistent, and he muttered under his breath as he closed his book.

“Nanase?” Confusion overshadowed annoyance as he remembered that they were supposed to be something close to friends now. “Makoto’s not here, Haru. I thought Rin would have told you about his hot date.”

Haru shook his head and looked at Sousuke as if he were staring at a complete idiot. Of course he would have known that Rin was going out; they both knew that the redhead couldn’t keep his mouth shut when he was excited.

“I waited until they left to come over,” Haru said, holding up an envelope. Sousuke could see Kisumi’s distinctive handwriting scrawled across the crisp white paper. “Kisumi told you, right?”

At once, understanding hit him, and Sousuke simply looked between Haru and the envelope in his hand, knowing what it was and dreading it at the same time. _That little shit_. Sighing, he stepped aside, and Haru walked past him into the room.

“So, I guess that means that you and I are one of the teams,” he said. He couldn’t read the look that Haru shot him, but he felt a twinge of guilt nonetheless. He could at least act like he wasn’t disappointed with the circumstances. After all, he didn’t have to agree to this game in the first place. “Guess we should get started. What’s our first clue?”

Haru handed over the envelope, and Sousuke withdrew the slip of paper with the same flowing handwriting. His brow furrowed as he read the words, but when he glanced up for clarification, Haru just rolled his eyes.

“It’s in the library,” Haru said.

“No shit. I figured that out already, but I don’t get the last part.”

“It’s referring to a specific book,” he explained, his thinning patience obvious. “Come on.”

Sousuke had no choice but to follow as Haru turned and walked out of the room. Thankfully, his legs were longer, and he had no trouble keeping up with the brisk pace. He was unable to glean any more information on the specific book they had to find, but at least the trek across campus gave him the opportunity to observe the area around them. Maybe he’d be able to find his way on his own without too much trouble next time.

The university’s library was impressive, and Sousuke stopped to stare at the shelves upon shelves of books, having no idea how they would find the one they needed among all of them. Haru, however, had no such trouble, and he took Sousuke’s hand to drag him through the lines of bookcases towards the literature section.

Sousuke surprised himself first by not yanking his hand away at the initial contact and second, by keeping their hands laced together when they stopped for Haru to scan the titles before them. It wasn’t until Haru started to unlink their hands that Sousuke realized that he’d actually _liked_ the sensation of his long fingers tangled with his own.

“Found it,” Haru said, so quiet that it might have been to himself.

The title was unfamiliar, but he read a few snippets over Haru’s shoulder, and the pieces fell into place. Really, as soon as he’d seen the mention of Chubei and a samurai’s gold, he should have recognized the play that he’d tried to read a few years earlier, but the reference had escaped him until that moment. As Haru flipped through the pages, another envelope fell to the floor, and Sousuke bent to retrieve it.

“Bet you can't resist me on a hot summer day. I can make you burn and feel cold at the same time, I dare say.” He looked at Haru, deciding that the riddle was definitely Kisumi’s style, but he saw the same confusion in the blue eyes that stared back at him. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Haru simply shrugged and checked the time. They still had no leads on who the other team might be, and he had no intention of giving Rin the impression that he was hanging out with Sousuke just because it sounded like a good idea. He’d never hear the end of it. Catching the meaning in the glance, Sousuke nodded in agreement; it was time to head back, hopefully before the other two returned.

0o0o0o0

“This is going to be great!” Rin flashed a grin across the table, too excited to even open the envelope. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind a tour of the campus, but Kisumi knows us so well that he had to throw in a competition. We’re totally going to win.”

“We still have to figure out the first clue,” Makoto said. His friend’s enthusiasm was infectious, though, and he couldn’t resist a smile as he pulled out the folded piece of paper and read over it aloud. “I have a big mouth and am quite loud. I'm not gossip, but I get involved in everyone's dirty business.”

“Sounds like Nagisa,” Rin laughed.

Makoto’s eyes widened for a moment, and he seemed about to chastise his friend for the remark, but a fit of laughter bubbled up from his chest instead. When he managed to compose himself, he read the clue again, failing to suppress another quiet laugh. The first one was supposed to be the easiest, and he tried to take the whole game seriously. After all, he also wanted to win.

“It’s a washing machine,” he said finally, looking at Rin as his smile widened until his eyes closed. “The next clue has to be at the campus laundry facility.”

Without wasting another second, Rin jumped up, dropped some money on the table, and grabbed Makoto’s hand, pulling him from his chair. Once they were out the door, however, he realized that he wasn’t really sure which way to go, and he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to look over at him. Makoto’s face was flushed, the tips of his ears tinged with pink, and Rin was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed that their hands were still joined. Scarlet eyes widened as he quickly pulled his hand away, and he looked to the side to try and maintain some semblance of composure.

“Okay, Mako,” he said, focusing on the task before them. “Which way?”

 0o0o0o0

Sousuke didn’t complain when Haru dragged him off to the pool the next day after they’d finished their classes. His shoulder wouldn’t allow for any serious swimming, but he wasn’t opposed to getting in the water again. When they didn’t head towards the locker rooms, he glanced at Haru, but the other seemed to have no interest in letting him in on whatever was going through his head.

As they walked the perimeter wall of the natatorium, it finally clicked. The pool was the perfect answer to the riddle, and he split off from Haru to cover more ground quickly. Even after searching every possible space surrounding the pool, they’d come up empty, and Sousuke muttered under his breath.

“It has to be here,” Haru said, determined to find the next clue.

He sat down on the concrete, gazing into the water as if it held the answer, and his mouth opened in a fraction of surprise when the water showed him the way. Standing, he stripped off his clothes, dropping them on the tiles around him. Sousuke wasn’t surprised to see his jammers underneath, but the sudden removal of the outer garments warranted at least some form of protest.

Naturally, Haru ignored him in favor of diving into the water. He surfaced only long enough to take in a lungful of air, and he dove down again, pushing himself to the bottom. It took a few moments to find it again – without goggles, it was much more difficult to see – but his efforts were rewarded when he retrieved a Ziploc bag that had been taped along the very bottom of the pool.

When his head breached the surface again, he held it up, and Sousuke’s annoyance nearly vanished when he saw the crisp, white envelope inside of it. Shaking his head, he reached forward with his left hand to pull his teammate out of the pool, suppressing a laugh.

“Figures he’d do something like that,” he said.

Again, Haru ignored him, not even bothering to dry off before opening the bag to get a look at their next clue. His brow furrowed in thought, and he handed it over. Sousuke read it twice, coming up with just as many ideas as Haru, but he was determined to figure it out first this time.

_A place where messes are made, and mess cleaned, where you can make yourself fat or make yourself lean._

“It’s the cafeteria,” he said as soon as it dawned on him. “Put your clothes on and let’s go.”

Haru gave one last look at the pool before grabbing a towel. The water had never led him astray, and he was glad that it still held true. It didn’t take him long to dress again, and he made a halfhearted attempt to dry his hair as they left the natatorium, already making plans to return sooner rather than later.

“We need to stop one more place first,” Haru said.

Sousuke waited for an explanation, but Haru didn’t provide one. Swallowing down frustration, Sousuke gave a curt nod and shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. Really, he should have been used to Haru’s mannerisms, but they still caught him off guard every now and then. Curiosity was getting the better of him, edging past stubborn pride, and when they stopped in the gymnasium, he couldn’t resist asking any longer.

“And we’re here because…?”

“Because there’s a clue here,” Haru said.

“How the hell do you know that?” Sousuke stared at him as they made the same trek along the walls as they’d done in the last room.

“Because Rin wouldn’t shut up about figuring out another riddle.” Haru’s eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the cart of basketballs along the adjacent wall. “I had to study. He was loud.”

Sousuke followed him, and they both started checking under each ball until they saw a scrap of paper taped to the back of the cart itself. Haru grabbed it, careful not to damage it, and pushed the cart back into place.

“Kisumi gave him easy ones,” Sousuke said, reading over his shoulder. “To solve this little fix, liquids, solids, gases mix. Head to the place of some reaction to further this puzzle transaction. It’s the fucking chemistry lab. Where did he find this? A kid’s scavenger hunt book?” He looked at Haru, who shrugged as he started walking away. “So, are we taking it?”

“No, just moving it.”

“Five hundred yen says that Tachibana is his teammate,” Sousuke said. “He was up half the night texting someone and wouldn’t tell me who it was.”

“No bet,” Haru said. “He was texting Rin.”

They didn’t voice what they both were thinking; at least some of those texts weren’t related to their current game. Letting the subject drop, Haru taped the clue behind the door of the women’s locker room, and with a nod of satisfaction, he led Sousuke back out into the hall.

 0o0o0o0

“What the hell do you mean it’s not here?” Rin demanded. “It has to be here!”

Makoto held up his hands, even though he wasn’t happy with the development either. There was no other way to interpret their latest clue; it led right to the gymnasium and the basketballs. He gave the rack another once-over, just to be sure they hadn’t missed it, but nothing even resembling an envelope or paper was there.

“Is there something wrong with the basketballs?” Both of them turned to look at the student who’d asked the question, neither recognizing him. “You two are the second pair today to come looking through them.”

“Son of a bitch,” Rin muttered. “Who was here earlier?”

“Nanase and some other guy I didn’t know.” Of course, the guy knew Haru. With the times he’d posted in freestyle during training, it was no surprise that his name got around. The other student gestured to Makoto. “About your height, maybe a little more muscle, dark hair. Pretty sure he didn’t know what the hell a smile was.”

“I’m going to kick his ass,” Rin said evenly.

“Did they take anything?” Makoto asked, trying to diffuse the situation before Rin turned even angrier.

“I’m not really sure, but I think I saw Nanase with a little piece of paper. They headed over there, but then they left.”

They followed his gesture towards the locker rooms and headed in that direction, Makoto throwing a quick thanks over his shoulder. Half an hour later, they’d searched every inch of the men’s locker room, which was just as fruitless as the basketball rack.

Rin was pissed. A steady stream of expletives slipped past his lips, and he paced among the benches and lockers as he vented his frustration. Makoto simply watched, allowing him a few minutes to get it out of his system, but there was determination in his green eyes. Now that he knew who they were up against, he was ready to take this seriously.

“He didn’t exactly say that it was in the men’s locker room,” he mused, and Rin shot him a look of disbelief. “And they couldn’t really go into the women’s locker room themselves. Maybe someone helped them.”

“That’s just evil,” Rin said. _Brilliant, but evil_. “Let’s find out.”

He stormed out of the locker room and made a sharp right, stopping before the next door. His hands were planted firmly on his hips, and even if Makoto seemed a little more serious about the game, he could see the hesitation on his face. They couldn’t just barge in there, but if that’s where their next clue was hidden, then what choice did they have?

Makoto stopped beside him, and they stared at the closed door as if it lead to certain death; if they decided to risk it and walk through, then it just might. They could hear voices on the other side, which killed any chance of sneaking in and out again. After several more minutes ticked by, Makoto lifted his hand to knock, stepping back a few paces. The young woman who opened the door seemed about to close it right in their faces when he spoke up.

“Wait! We’re not trying to invade your privacy, but…” He trailed off, trying to figure out how to explain their problem without sounding like a complete idiot. “Some of our friends hid something, like an envelope or a piece of paper, and we were wondering if you might have seen it in there? We’ve already looked everywhere else in this area.”

“We were wondering who this was for,” she said as she pulled the paper off of the back of the door.

“Thank you so much!” Makoto beamed at her, and Rin grabbed the paper quickly.

“They’re already ahead of us,” he said. “And if they figured this one out, then they probably moved the next one, too. Damn, Haru’s going to get an earful when I see him. Sousuke, too.”

“I have a better idea,” Makoto said. “Don’t let them know that we know. If they think they’re ahead of us, then they’re not going to be rushing to find all of theirs. We’ll split up tomorrow. One of us will keep them occupied, while the other one finds the clues.”

Rin considered the suggestion. It wasn’t exactly in the spirit of the competition, but Makoto’s expression told him that he wanted to win just as much as Rin did. With a sharp grin, he nodded. He could always learn his way around campus over the course of the semester. Besides, what better way to spend the next several days than hanging out with two of his best friends? That he was going to screw up their plans only made it better.

 0o0o0o0

“We should hang out today,” Rin said. “Maybe you could show me around?”

“I thought Makoto was doing that,” Haru said, not looking up from the textbook on his desk.

“He said he has to meet his study group today.” Haru didn’t have to look at him to see the frustrated pout on his face. “Besides, when was the last time we did anything? We could swing by the pool and race!”

“I’m busy.”

“Bullshit,” Rin said. “You don’t have any classes today, so what are you doing that’s more important than making sure your best friend doesn’t get lost on campus?”

Haru didn’t answer, and Rin knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t going to get a response if Haru didn’t want to provide one. With a sigh that was definitely not overdramatic, he swung his legs over the side of the bed to cross the room. He glanced at Haru’s phone as it lit up with a text, and a grin spread over his lips.

“Since when do you get texts from Sousuke?” he asked, failing to feign innocence. “I didn’t even know you two had exchanged numbers. Something you want to tell me, Haru?”

“It’s none of your business,” he said. Grabbing his phone, he glanced at the message and shoved it into the pocket of his sweatshirt. “Go hang out with him if you’re bored.”

“But I want to hang out with both of you,” Rin pressed. “Come on, it’ll be fun. Now that I know you two aren’t going to try to kill each other, we can all find something to do together.”

“If I say yes, will you leave me alone so I can finish studying?”

“You can study tonight,” Rin said. “You’ll have the room to yourself for a while, so you can enjoy your peace and quiet later.”

Haru sighed, closing his book. Rin wasn’t going to let this drop, and Haru conceded that it wouldn’t kill him to spend some time with one of his closest friends. After all, Rin had left Australia to study in Japan again, and it wasn’t fair to just ignore him. Running a hand through his hair to make it as presentable as he planned to make it, he pushed back his chair and stood.

 0o0o0o0

It was early evening when they made it back to the dorms. Rin could hardly believe that both Sousuke and Haru were getting along well. He hadn’t even noticed any snide remarks between them, and for some reason, that alone brought him relief.

It had been a constant concern while he’d been away. Sousuke had never been overly sociable, and the thought of him continuing on without any friendly connections had made Rin long for home. Their weekly Skype sessions had eased his mind a little, and he was secretly thrilled when he heard the room assignments at University, but seeing him interact with others in person was completely different than the regular assurances that he was doing well.

With Makoto beside him and a grin on his face, he walked to the small café around the corner from the campus. As they turned the corner, they saw Kisumi sitting at one of the patio tables, a peppermint mocha latte resting in front of him, and they quickened their pace. Rin dropped down into one of the chairs, and Makoto pulled the stack of clues from his pocket as he took the empty seat next to him.

“We did it,” Makoto said with an easy smile. “It was really fun, Kisumi, and I’m sure Rin will have no problem finding his way around campus now.”

“Good,” Kisumi said. “I didn’t want to say it at the beginning, but I did get a prize for the second place winners. I hope you like it.”

“ _Second_ place?” Rin’s smile vanished as he leaned forward. “What the hell do you mean second place?”

“Oh, the other team just checked in and went inside to get coffee,” Kisumi said. “But I just couldn’t ask you all to play along and let you walk away empty handed.”

Rin seethed in his chair, his head turning to regard Haru and Sousuke sharing a booth inside the welcoming atmosphere of the café. It was impossible. Rin had kept them occupied all day, and there was no way that they could have possibly gathered all of their clues in the short time since he’d left their company.

“I’m treating you both to a movie,” Kisumi continued. “I really wanted to take Rinrin by myself, but I knew that Mako-chan wouldn’t be happy with that, so we’ll all go together, and Rin can sit in the middle. Won’t that be fun?”

Makoto looked just as confused as Rin, but there were no traces of anger on his gentle features. He wasn’t happy about losing, but at least they were getting a free trip to the movies for their troubles.

“What did they get?” he asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

“Oh, I’m sending them to dinner at the new sushi place downtown,” Kisumi said. “They did so well working together, that I decided they deserved a good reward. Haru-chan looked happy with the idea.”

Makoto knew that the current definition of _happy_ meant that Haru didn’t actively shove Kisumi away, and that was good enough for him. Following Rin’s gaze, he watched his best friend and his roommate share casual conversation, something that seemed rare for both, and he couldn’t help but smile again. Maybe second place wasn’t so bad if it helped Haru come out of his shell with someone else.

“Oi, Haru,” Rin called when the pair exited the shop. “How did you two manage to pull this off?”

“We finished our clues last night,” Haru said.

“Since the gym wasn’t empty when we were there, it was a safe bet that someone would have told you we’d been there,” Sousuke added. “And I wanted to win.”

Rin stared at them, torn between begrudging admiration for their plan and annoyance that he’d fallen for it so easily. The barely perceptible smile on Haru’s face and the light dusting of pink on Sousuke’s cheeks washed away his irritation, though, and he failed to hide a laugh.

“I’ll kick your ass next time,” he vowed. “At least I still get a movie date with Mako and Kisumi.”

“Do you think they’ll have mackerel at that sushi place?” Haru asked, looking up at Sousuke.

“Probably,” Sousuke said with a shrug. “It’s probably expensive as hell, but Shigino is footing the bill, so you can get whatever you want.”

Makoto’s laughter was soon joined by Kisumi’s, and Rin reluctantly joined in. Returning to Japan had been a good decision, especially if it meant that he would get to have moments like this with his friends.


End file.
